I was in Delhi for the Half Marathon and after I finished the run, I took the Metro to go from the venue to my friend’s place. Next to me sat a 16 year old boy, clearly belonging to SEC A. This boy saw me in my shorts and decided to ask me a few questions:

He feels lonely. There are too many people around him. None, to give him company. He doesn’t think. Music drives him as strangers egg him on. A sea of people and a cacaphony of noise. He thinks. All he wants is the next step, all he needs is the next breath. He IS lonely. And he loves it.

He labors to wear those clothes again. He has already had a long day. This is not the day to start. Not today. Can he not wait one more day? No, he hears. He has waited enough already.

He tries to remember the path he used to take. It has been eight months after all. He tries to remember the distance that he had measured, the milestones that he had placed in his mind. None of them come back. It is all a blur.

He puts the earphones in his ear and tries to find the correct playlist. He has been walking till now, trying to stretch as much as possible, preparing his muscles for the assault that is coming their way. It has been eight months after all.

As the music starts, he pushes himself to a jog. His feet pound the weathered road; trying to match the rhythm playing in his ears. His breathes gets shorter. He has forgotten how long he can keep running without slowing down to a walk. He keeps running.

As the songs pick up rhythm, he tries his best to match it. His lungs are trying to crack his ribs. He feels like there is only hot air around. It has been eight months after all. He feels a sense of euphoria as he crosses familiar terrain with every step.

After a point walking hurts more than moving faster. So he keeps moving. As he reaches closer to his destination, his body finally remembers what it had gone through eight months back. This is just the beginning, it is reassured. He stops short of feeling agony. Making sure he does not over spend. The last song sends a surge of adrenalin through his blood as he starts sprinting. Soon, the adrenalin turns into endorphins. Happy. It has been eight months after all.

It was an experience that everyone should go through. Running on the streets of Bombay. Will not happen otherwise. Saw Bombay like I have never seen it before.

The best sight for me however was watching the African contingent running in sync with each other at sprint pace while we were jogging along. It was like watching horses galloping down the road, all in matching yellow shoes. Absolutely beautiful!

I finally got my running number (14330) bib from WTC today. Yes, I am still running the half marathon. Although I did not write anything in terms of updates on my preparation for race day after the first post, I have somewhat done some training in the past week and more (ya, I know it is not enough). Anyway, the bib collection counter was at WTC (Cuffe Parade) at the Get Activ Expo. I had no clue what this was going to be.

I went there half expecting to see just a few counters handing out the bib and my goodie bag :). However, it was a whole marketing machine at work there. The Expo was an entire hall at the WTC and all the sponsors had their own stall. The bib collection stall was at the absolute corner to make sure you pass each and every stall on your way to collect your bib. The bib collection itself took a couple of minutes and then later I was directed to get my time chip verified and collect my goodie bag. I did not stop at any of the stalls as all of them were a bit crowded. There were quite a few deals on running equipment by Nike, Reebok and the event sponsor Basic.

Coming to the goodie bag. Every year SCMM gives away goodie bags to all the participants when they collect their bibs. This goodie bag contains all sorts of stuff that a health conscious or a self conscious person would require for their daily needs. This year, the goodie bag is bigger than ever with goodies worth Rs. 450! So, effectively, you can pay Rs. 300 as entry fee for the Dream Run and get goodies worth 450! I however have paid Rs. 500 for my half marathon.

This is a very nice way of giving away free samples. You as a marketer are assured that the person getting your sample is someone who can spend a minimum of Rs. 300 on what is basically a pleasure activity. In a country like India, I doubt there is a better way of distributing free samples. Also, you are assured that a minimum of at least 75% of the participants are those who care about their health. The target is acquired. Apparently, Marico and HUL have spent around Rs. 14 and Rs. 27 lakh each with Piramal Healthcare spending a massive Rs. 50 lakhs on free samples. Only time will tell if it is really worth the money spent for the brands. My money spent however is totally worth it 🙂

I have registered for the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2010 and successfully begun training today.

I trained with my Jai Hind friend Mohit Saxena and we jogged close to 1.5 KM today and walked 1.5 KM. So on the first day, we have reached half the dream run 😛

Hopefully I will be able to reach somewhere with this. I have to keep this up and convert this into a more complete and longer run. Also, have to take care of my diet to build up the stamina I will need from now on!

Too much to take care of while doing an MBA! Any suggestions and tips?